5 top batters to watch out for in men's Delhi Premier League 2024 ft. Rishabh Pant
Finally, after most states and Union Territories had followed the IPL bandwagon to build smaller T20 leagues of their own, Delhi has come up with a professional, systematic tournament under the banner of the Delhi Premier League (DPL). It begins on Saturday, August 17, and will include a six-team men's tournament and a four-team women's tournament.
The biggest early positive sign for the team has been securing household names' participation. This will bring not only more eyeballs but also, hopefully, keep the league away from the allegations of corruption and mis-administration that have marred everything else in the state's cricket for years.
Below, we have curated a list of five top batters who'll take part in the men's competition and what you can expect from them. Separate pieces on other players to watch out for in both competitions would either already be up on Sportskeeda or will be coming soon.
#5 Priyansh Arya
He's the only player on this list who's not part of the IPL, yet. But those who have watched Priyansh Arya bat in Delhi's local tournaments and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) would know that it's only a matter of time.
He's a natural hitter and an opening batter, who'll remind you of a young, skinnier version of Chris Gayle. When he gets going with his beautiful lofted drives and flicks, he becomes almost impossible to stop.
Arya was the highest run-scorer for Delhi in the last edition, scoring 222 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of 167. He'll represent South Delhi Superstars in the league and would be one that the IPL scouts would be keeping their eyes on.
#4 Anuj Rawat
After a tough IPL with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Anuj Rawat would be raring to make his mark in the DPL. The young wicketkeeper-batter is still considered among the best prospects in the region and somewhat like a successor to Rishabh Pant.
This could be the tournament where the left-hander truly comes to his own. He has shown signs that his big-hitting has improved at RCB and against bowlers with much less IPL experience, his consistency might come through.
He was one of the marquee picks for East Delhi Riders and would want to perform like one too.
#3 Yash Dhull
It's a shame that Yash Dhull hasn't got any substantial opportunities in the IPL yet despite leading India to the 2022 Under-19 World Cup title. Like most batters here, Delhi's opaque administrative system has seen him get caught in a few controversies. So despite scoring twin centuries on his first-class debut, his numbers and game time have been quite up and down.
The DPL might be the perfect opportunity for him to change that. In the big limelight, probably also as the captain for the Central Delhi Kings, he'll get the chance to call the shots and show just how good, technically sound, confident, and full of leadership qualities he is. If all goes well, he'll be one of the contenders for the leading run-scorer awards.
#2 Ayush Badoni
Lucknow Super Giants seemed to have found Ayush Badoni out of nowhere a couple of years ago. That was because he hardly got any opportunities even in lower Delhi leagues before getting into the IPL.
He comes from the same Modern School at Barakhamba Road as Gautam Gambhir and is a gritty, infallible character like him too. Badoni made his name by playing some superb lower-order knocks and enhanced that in IPL 2024 by showing he can win games from the middle order too.
Now, at DPL, he'd get the chance to dominate proceedings alongside Priyansh at the Superstars. The more balls he faces, the more Delhi would see that he can bat maturely and hit big sixes all around the ground at will.
#1 Rishabh Pant
When reports started coming through about DPL being a reality, Rishabh Pant's participation wasn't confirmed. But now, he's the marquee signing for Purani Dilli 6 and would be the captain too.
There's nothing new to know about Pant. However, he should probably see this league as an opportunity to burnish his T20 game and gain some confidence in high-intent cricket to get over the doubts over his ability that surfaced even recently during the T20I series against Sri Lanka.
Another interesting aspect to watch out for would be how he manages his fitness. The tournament is during the small window of break for India's international players. As soon as it ends, India will have a Test series against Bangladesh which will kick off an extensive season of Test cricket where Pant will be a necessity and which will take a huge toll on his body.
DPL has so many things to look forward to. How Delhi's biggest current superstar fares in it should make for a brilliant watch.